A year away from release, Pahlaj Nihalani is already targetting Manmohan Singh film

CBFC chief Pahlaj Nihalani has advised the makers of the upcoming film on for PM Manmohan Singh, titled The Accidental Prime Minister, and starring Anupam Kher, to get NOCs from all real-life characters depicted in the film.

Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) chief Pahlaj Nihalani is happy that Anupam Kher is stepping into the shoes of Manmohan Singh for a film, but says the movie’s makers will need to obtain no-objection certificates (NOC) from the former Prime Minister himself as well as Congress President Sonia Gandhi for film certification.

Nihalani has warned that the film’s makers would have to abide by the guideline regarding all films based on real-life characters.

“The makers of ‘The Accidental Prime Minister’, producer Sunil Bohra, would have to get an NOC from Manmohan Singhji, Sonia Gandhiji and all the other real-life politicians who are part of the narrative. This rule applies without fail. There are no exceptions,” Nihalani said.

“And although my current tenure as the CBFC chairperson ends in January 2018 and this film will come up for censorship after that, I am sure the guidelines regarding biopics would remain unchanged.”

He hopes the film’s team is aware of this.

“Anupam Kher was himself the CBFC chairperson not too long so. Ashoke Pandit who considers himself a part of the CBFC, is also a part of the film on Manmohan Singhji. And Hansal Mehta who is writing the film, claims to be a victim of the censorship guidelines every time his film is on release. I can’t imagine how these people cannot be aware of the NOC required for censor clearance of films based on real-life figures,” Nihalani added.

When IANS contacted producer Sunil Bohra, he said he was travelling.

Nevertheless, Nihalani is confident Anupam Kher will give the role his best shot.

“He’s such a versatile actor. At the age of 28, he had played an old man so brilliantly in Saaransh. I am sure he will do full justice to Manmohan Singhji’s character, though it would have to be more expressions than words. As we all know, Manmohan Singhji hardly speaks. I am sure the dialogue writer would not have much to contribute to the character,” he added.

The project is an adaptation of Sanjay Baru’s controversial book The Accidental Prime Minister: The Making and Unmaking of Manmohan Singh.